How to: The Comprehensive Brown Wire Mod Thread

[tweety]

will this work with a orange wire?

sorry..couldnt help myself..

Anyway i have a 97 sport...the 4x4 lights have been blinking pretty much since ive owned it,...however if i shut it off and started back up could get the 4wd to work to get out of snow etc... It never really bothered me before. Just recently i replaced the clutch and slave cylinder. ( connection?) Now the lights dont blink as often but it also seems the 4x4 is sometimes binding in parking lots and staying engaged even at highway speeds. Then i feel it disengage and a few minutes later the lights start blinking. also the ABS light has recently come on...any connection? thinking of doing the bwm to bypass and have the 4wd only on demand. This should fix my problem with constant 4wd, no? or do you suggest I check something else first?

btw: all the above is with the selector in auto

also with the bwm, what are the restrictions regarding hitting the newly installed switch..can you do it in motion on the fly..or only from a stop in neutral etc?

 

[pinstripefan90]

I did this and everything worked great but when I spin a tire it jerks alot, is that normal?

So when you spun the wheels you got a jerking feeling in the steering wheel right as well as some what of a clunk, that is because your vehicle is not fully 2wd due to a switch, if you give a light accel on dirt or lose pavements and the wheels spin a little you won't notice the jerking/clunk feeling but if you gun it you will, when you gun it the from wheels are still slightly engaged and the jerking is the clutch engaging and disengaging under hard load in the transfer case. Basically don't try and spin your wheels or else you will be overhauling that t-case soon and kicking yourself in the ass for it. I have the brown wire mod installed on my '99 Sport and i really never use it, I leave it in the on position and drive the truck as Ford designed. I am a mechanic and proof that this doesn't make your truck 2wd is over the summer when I was doing a trans flush on my explorer w/ the BG machine in order to speed up the process since there is such low pressure in the trans on these you either have to power break it to speed up the process or leave it in the air in gear so I did that and even w/ the switch off making my truck in close to 2wd mode the front wheels still turned, slower than the rear but they turned. Anyway good luck but like i said don't go spinning your tires like an idiot or you will be kicking yourself in the ass hard in the long run...:navajo:

- Jake

 

[splferrell]

i have a 96 so i add power to the brow wire under my seat and i get all time 4 wheel

also i think there should of been 2 brown wire mod topics

 

[sichejo]

I did the "Brown Wire Mod" using a SPDT switch on my '96 XLT.
The fuse blew feeding the switch. I first tried 10A, then went to 15A. Figure I would stop after that.

I know that I have a problem with the transfer case, I thought it was the discs with the ball bearings. I wanted to do the mod before I replaced the transfer case, so the new to me transfer case would not live a rough life. Now I'm thinking it is the TCCC in the old case. I can see the dome light dim for a second when I put it in 4WD low.

 

[Shakieh31]

Hello All,

I have read all through this but am still trying to find a way to do this correctly on a 2005 XLT. The information I have gathered so far involves using the harness on the passenger side door, cutting the brown wire, and basically interrupting that signal with a switch. I easily understand all that and would have no problem installing it. However, I have read that there is an issue with the second gens where their 4x4 lights on their dash will flash when this is done. Apparently a relay has to be installed somewhere that prevents that from happening. That is really the only part that has me a bit confused. I've never installed a relay. I would like to do this correctly to my 05. Any help would be appreciated. Trying to stop the auto 4x4 coming on in snow. Thanks!

Tony T.

 

[explorerguy89]

i tried and failed miserably idk how but my brown wire didnt seem to dissconnect anything =[ i have a 99

 

[jcwaters1]

so basically if the front wheels are turning, then its not hurting the TCC? i was a little confused on that part

 

[jcwaters1]

this works amazingly. i love it. thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[explorerguy89]

yess! just finished successful brown wire mod =p

 

[jmitch08]

So I am new to this forum and have a 96 xlt sport 4x4 that is going to receive a waggy d44 with springs and was curious about the BWM. I am fairly new to this vehicle ( it was recently givin to me) but very familiar with 4x4 tech. My question is can I just use a simple on-on Switch spliced into the brown wire and connected to a 12 volt power source to have 4 high when it's in 4auto and true 4low when it's in low and of course 2hi when it's in 2hi? Because I don't care about using the stock control Trac setup. When it's in 4hi I want it to be completly locked in and the same as 4low. Thanks!

 

[Glen4X4]

Welcome To The Forum! You can in fact do what you want to with using an ON-ON type switch but realize this that if you're going to lock the front and rear axles and do some hard wheeling with it the under stress the transfer case clutch will slip and will eventually go out, if you plan on wheeling like that I recommend swapping in a BW1354 from a first gen explorer or 91+ranger its a direct swap. 2wd position on the 96 explorer only disconnects the passenger side axle shaft in these and the clutch automatically engaging continues so if you plan to use on-on you'll have to make sure your hubs are unlocked on the axle when not wheeling or else you may feel that jolt on wet roads if you get rear tire spin.

 

[jmitch08]

Ok! Thanks for the helpful information! I'm going to jus use this transfer case until she goes out then swap in another one. On the BW1354 did they make it with a manual shifter? And if so can it be twin-sticked? Thanks!

 

[Glen4X4]

The 1354 did come in a manual version and if you can find a kit you can make it into a doubler with a 1350, search around the site on the subject there were threads on this.

 

[jmitch08]

Ok thanks

 

[mountaineer02]

OK, I am also new. i have 02 mountaineer with AWD, does the brown wire work for this? please let me know what i can get away with as far as comparing to the explorer. Thank you all so much

 

[Glen4X4]

OK, I am also new. i have 02 mountaineer with AWD, does the brown wire work for this? please let me know what i can get away with as far as comparing to the explorer. Thank you all so much

Welcome To The Forum! If you have AWD this mod will not apply to you. If you have automatic 4X4 then you can do the brown wire mod and you need to look up 3rd gen brown wire mod as the brown wire is on the passenger side of these trucks.

 

[mountaineer02]

Thats too bad, looked pretty neat to use. Thank you though. Any anwsers on vibration coming from rear diff, TSB 05-23-3 will fix?

 

[steelo1]

Welcome To The Forum! If you have AWD this mod will not apply to you. If you have automatic 4X4 then you can do the brown wire mod and you need to look up 3rd gen brown wire mod as the brown wire is on the passenger side of these trucks.

Is that so with RHD as in Australia?

 

[Glen4X4]

Is that so with RHD as in Australia?

Yes it should be.

 

[drakeguy22]

So when you spun the wheels you got a jerking feeling in the steering wheel right as well as some what of a clunk, that is because your vehicle is not fully 2wd due to a switch, if you give a light accel on dirt or lose pavements and the wheels spin a little you won't notice the jerking/clunk feeling but if you gun it you will, when you gun it the from wheels are still slightly engaged and the jerking is the clutch engaging and disengaging under hard load in the transfer case. Basically don't try and spin your wheels or else you will be overhauling that t-case soon and kicking yourself in the ass for it. I have the brown wire mod installed on my '99 Sport and i really never use it, I leave it in the on position and drive the truck as Ford designed. I am a mechanic and proof that this doesn't make your truck 2wd is over the summer when I was doing a trans flush on my explorer w/ the BG machine in order to speed up the process since there is such low pressure in the trans on these you either have to power break it to speed up the process or leave it in the air in gear so I did that and even w/ the switch off making my truck in close to 2wd mode the front wheels still turned, slower than the rear but they turned. Anyway good luck but like i said don't go spinning your tires like an idiot or you will be kicking yourself in the ass hard in the long run...:navajo:

- Jake

Thank you. you shed much light on my situation... i have a 99 XLT. i think i will be returning it to normal soon. i get the jerking from the front engaging and disengaging... i dont like the clunking and as you said when you floor it it does it and when you ease into it it doesnt... im gunna go back to stock. im not knocking anyone it works exactly how its said it should